Portland Timbers sign former West Ham United forward Frederic Piquionne

View full sizeThe Portland Timbers added some veteran experience to their forward group by signing former West Ham United forward Frederic Piquionne to a deal. Per MLS rules, the terms of the contract were not announced.Guardian UK/AP

Piquionne has put together an impressive resume of appearances with Ligue 1 (top flight of French football) and Premiership (top flight of English football) over his 16 year career, most notably playing for Lyon, Portsmouth, West Ham United, Saint-Etienne, AS Monaco and Rennes. Piquionne joined the Hammers in 2010 and scored eight goals in 54 appearances, but he had fallen out of favor with new WHU manager Sam Allardyce and had been looking for another opportunity. His signing not only gives the Timbers an experienced scorer on the international level, but he can provide leadership and mentoring to the Timbers' young forwards.

Here's a current update of the Timbers roster after the announcement:

Players Under Contract or Timbers Control MLS Rights (30 on roster, 2 under Timbers rights):